Amusement device



Oct. 18, 1932. H. Plc-KARD ET AL 1,883,&57

AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed Feb. 16, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet l Hamm Hazard Hgrraj Pxkcxv'd Navman Pu- Kfwd INVENTORE:

B3 @awk 10m. 332. H. PICKARD x-:T AL.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE -Filed Feb. 16, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 (Jet. 18, 1932. H. PlcKARD ET AL AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed Feb. 16, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Harold Puckfd ord Harmj Fi ck Norman Rekord (NVEN TOF-2S l @IQ/MMI@ Patented Oct. 18, 1932 l HAnoLnrIcxAnnQHnnnY rrcxniannnun NORMAN'PICKARD, or BLAcxrooL,

' ENGLAND lAivrrsnMunir DEVICEv 'Appnation inea rebruary'laiei, serial No. $516,228, ana-in Greatrritam september 27,1929".

i5 carsftothe conveyorsyto prevent. friction on the hands and arms and clothing of the passengers-as theyslide downthe chutes; and to gradually reduce the speed ofthe pas= sengers aty the .discharge endof the chutes. In the drawings, Figurel is abrolren side elevation ofV a double lamusementl chute in accordance with this invention, Figure 2 is a plan of Figure 1`. v v Figure 3 is a plan ofafsingle amusement chute in accordance with this invention;

Figures 4 and 5 show in end elevation and side elevation respectively, the carand its connection* to the conveyor.

Figures 6, 7 and-8 show various devices which may conveniently be adopted for facilitating the return'of theV car at'l the top of the conveyor. Y n

Figure 9 shows the chute in cross-section. In the drawings, a is the staging, b', b are the conveyors, c, c are the cars,l and CZ,A cl are the chutes. The conveyors comprise endless chains which pass over sprockets/a, e.

Inithe'ap'pa'ratusishown in Figures l and 2, the conveyorcars., and chute on one side aredu'plicarted on the other side, so for convenience of description they will generally be hereinafter referred to in the singular number.

Appropriate links of the conveyorchains have fixed thereto short lengths of lL-bar o1 (see Figures land 5), throughr the webs of which are formed holes 292 which are countersunk on opposite sides and as shown in broken 5 lines in Figure 4, 01 is a transversely arranged pivot shaft which isiixed in the front legs -02' lof the car and passes snuglyfhrough the hole;Y

.pression springs c3 encircling the shaft- 01,.

The rear legs c4' of the car are connected'together by a tie c5, and'rnounted-in the lower ends'of lthe rear legsare axles ce carrying skids or wheels c7 which run, during theI ascent ofthe cars, in channelisectioneguides f and, during thedescent ofthe cars, in channel-sectionguides I Just the period that the car, in `'itsl ascent,V reaches the mouth Z1 of the chute, itsslrids cpassout of the guidesy f whereupon' the weight ofthe passenger in the carcauses--the' latter to tiltover in the direction of the arvrow, Figure 1i, and to discharge the passengerl into the chute, the countersunlr holeb2"per= mittingof the consequent roch-ing movement of the pivot shaft 01. As'soon asA thepas-V senger isdis'ch'arged, thespringsca return the car to its normal verticalv position, asY sliown'in Figure 4l, and inorder to maintain the car in that position until it: turns over for its `rei'nirn ourney, and also until the skids ente thel lowerchannel guide g, a pairfofjockey Wheels-7L is provided over, andin conf' tact with which, the ends of theshaftfc1 ride; Aalternatively to the jockey wheels, any-other; suitable form of guides may be providedforexarnple, guide rails which arelarranged between the upper ends of the channelguides fand g and between which the legsrof the car pass. Upon the skids 07 leaving; theg'uides f, thel rear part ofthe car falls Vuntil the tie c5 engages the i-bar. The part of'this tier which restson the bar-fis cut awayin the y form. ofv a V, as shownl at e8, whereby unduey movement ofV the rear 'p artof'f the car is prevented. j p f i 'f As the car topples over .abouti the pivot shaft 01 las fulcrurn, inv order fto commenceits return downward Ajourney, the rear part'of the car,` being free', will naturally tendto swing away from the conveyor. 'In order'to prevent' undue 5 strain on the apparatus? due.l to this movementofthe-car,-thelatterfis cone troll'ed in anysuitable way, fori'examplaeby means of a forwardly extendingarm'y' fixedto the car and provided with an upturned nose jl which engages the conveyor. In an alternative arrangement, shown in Figure 7, a check-plate le, is hinged at Z to each of the channel guides g and rests at its other end on a spring fm supported by a portion of the staging a, a guide pin 70.1 being fixed to the checkplate and passing freely through the part a. Thus, when the car reaches the limit of its forward travel, it topples over in the direction of the downwardly-pointing straight arrow and its skids c7 strike the check-plates, the shock being absorbed by the springs m. 'Ihe check-plates then guide the skids into the channel guides g. In the arrangement shown in Ifigure 8, the plate 7c and spring m are replaced by the laminated spring a.

Dealing now with the chute, Iligure 9, its sides (Z1 are set back, as shown in Figure 9, so that Vpassengers sitting on the sliding mat Z2 can avoid friction on their arms etc. and their clothing. Further, this absence of friction enables the passengers to attain greater speed down the chute.

Arranged at the lower end of each chute (l and protruding therethrough are sets of rotary rubber or resilient tyred wheels 0 which are mounted on shafts 01 and are driven in any suitable manner so that the speed of rotation of the wheels nearest the chute is such as to check to some extent, but without discomfort, the speed of the passengers about to emerge from the chute. Each set of wheels onwards from the lower end of the chute runs successively slower. The final set of wheels run ata speed which allows the passengers to alight without discomfort. It will be appreciated that these wheels serve to avoid congestion of passengers discharged from the chute, as they act independently both of the weight of the passengers and the raterat which the chute discharges the passen gers. Instead of wheels, drums provided with resilient peripheral ribs may be employed.

We claim l. In an amusement device, a conveyor, cars, and .iL-bars connected to said conveyor 1 and means connecting said cars to said .L-

bars, whereby the cars can swing in a plane at right angies to the direction of movement of the conveyor.

2. In an amusement device, a conveyor, cars, nL-bars secured to the conveyor and each having a hole in its web and shafts secured to the cars and passing freely through the holes in the said webs.

8. In an amusement device, a conveyor, cars, .5.-bars secured to the conveyor and each having a hole in its web, shafts secured to the cars and passing freely through the holes in the said webs, and means for righting the cars from their tilted position.

4. In an amusement device, a conveyor, cars, .L-bars secured to the conveyor and each having a hole in its web, shafts secured to the cars and passing freely through the holes in the said webs, and resilient means between the web and the car for righting the car from its tilted position.

5. In an amusement device, a conveyor, cars, .1 -bars secured to the conveyor and each having an oppositely countersunk hole in its web, and shafts secured to the cars and passing snugly through the holes in the said webs.

6. ln an amusement device, a conveyor, cars, means for attaching the cars to the conveyor, projections on said cars, and means adapted to be engaged by said projections for keeping the cars in the non-tilted position during the period of their reversal of direction of travel. Y v l 7. In an amusement device, a conveyor, carsmeans for attaching the cars to the conveyor, projections on said cars and jockey wheels which are engaged by said projections and maintain the cars in their non-tilted position during the period of their reversal of direction of travel.

8. In an amusement device, a chain conveyor, cars attached to said conveyor, means for maintaining verticality ofthe cars during their ascent and descent, and means for maintaining verticality of the cars during the period of their reversal'of direction of travel.

9. In an amusement device, a chain conveyor, cars attached to said conveyor, skids on the cars, channel-section members serving as guides for the skids, projections on the cars, and means arranged to be engaged by said projections to maintain vertic'ality of the cars during the period of their reversal of direction of travel. v

10. VIn an amusement device, a conveyor, cars attached to said conveyor, means for guiding the cars during their advance and return, and means for reducing the shock caused by the cars as they topple over to reverse their direction of travel.

1l. In an amusement device,a conveyor, cars attached to said conveyor, a chute to receive the passengers discharged from said conveyor, and, at Vthe discharge end of said chute rotatable elements to complete the discharge of the passengers from the chute.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification. c

HAROLD PICKARD. HARRY PICKARD. NORMAN PICKARD. 

